The position is located within the Engineering Service at the Fargo VA Healthcare System. The employee of this position performs a variety of work requiring application of extensive technical knowledge involving various established engineering methods, procedures, techniques and practices.

Duties

The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Major duties listed but not limited to: Plan, develop and supervise complex projects involving highly sophisticated medical equipment installation requiring methods and procedures not usually found in written procedures Develop and draw preliminary sketches, plot utility plans, maps, architectural plans, electrical schematics, electrical circuit plans, plumbing schematics, plumbing plans (piping layout), heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system layouts, etc. with an optimal level of drafting techniques and use of the CAD system Reviews designs for technical soundness and inspects all work completed by contractors and VAMC staff to ensure compliance Serves as the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for all construction projects and leases as assigned Prepares and oversees the production of plans, specifications, estimates, and schedules for complex projects Administers architectural/engineering (A/E) design contracts to ensure A/E conformance to project scope and design criteria, while ensuring accuracy, completeness, and quality of the design work Inspects construction progress on a regular basis to ensure compliance with drawings, specifications, schedule, and all applicable codes Identifies deviations from contract documents and ensures proper corrective action is taken by the contractor in a timely manner Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. (work hours may be further discussed during the interview) Telework: Not available Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Engineering Technician/PD23507A, PD23506A, and PD23505A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required Bargaining Unit Position: Yes, AFGE

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/18/2023. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-08. For a GS-10 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-10. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): This series covers technical positions supervising, leading, or performing work involving applying a practical knowledge of the: methods and techniques of engineering or architecture; and construction, application, properties, operations, and limitations of engineering systems, processes, structures, machinery, devices, and materials. Examples of qualifying specialized experience include technical work in: drafting, surveying construction estimating, physical science, mathematics, aerospace, architecture, chemicals, electrical or mechanical systems, mining, petroleum, or nuclear systems. Experience in a trade or craft may be credited as specialized experience when the work provided intensive knowledge of engineering principles, techniques, methods, and precedents. Examples are trade positions with substantial developmental, test, or design responsibilities such as: Planner and estimator who analyzed designs for production purposes. Instrument maker or model maker who performed design or development work on devices fabricated. Certification: Engineering technicians may be certified by the National Institute for Certification in Engineering Technologies, an organization sponsored by the National Society of Professional Engineers. Certification by the Institute will be helpful as a measure of the technician's quality of experience. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-09 Minimum Requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of (developmental) specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-08 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include what is stated above as the IOR, but also includes and is not limited to: providing engineering services associated with contracting and construction; establishing scope of work and design criteria; completing estimates of design time and costs, plans, and/or specifications; reviewing and checking technical aspects such as drawings, specifications, quantities, costs, accuracy, completeness, and conformity with requirements for planned projects; and participating in the preparation of procurement packages to ensure correct content and format of technical data. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have completed at least two (2) full years of graduate education or a master's degree that meets the requirements for a GS-09. One year of full-time graduate education is considered to be the number of credit hours that the school attended has determined to represent 1 year of full-time study. If that information cannot be obtained from the school, 18 semester hours should be considered as satisfying the 1 year of full-time study requirement. Part-time graduate education is creditable in accordance with its relationship to a year of full-time study at the school attended. GS-10 Minimum Requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of (developmental) specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include what is stated above as the IOR, but also includes and is not limited to: providing engineering services associated with contracting and construction; establishing scope of work and design criteria; completing estimates of design time and costs, plans, and/or specifications; reviewing and checking technical aspects such as drawings, specifications, quantities, costs, accuracy, completeness, and conformity with requirements for planned projects; and participating in the preparation of procurement packages to ensure correct content and format of technical data. GS-11 Minimum Requirements: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-10 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include what is stated above as the IOR, but also includes and is not limited to: providing engineering services associated with contracting and construction; establishing scope of work and design criteria; completing estimates of design time and costs, plans, and/or specifications; providing technical assistance to support contract administration; reviewing and checking technical aspects such as drawings, specifications, quantities, costs, accuracy, completeness, and conformity with requirements for planned projects; and participating in the preparation of procurement packages to ensure correct content and format of technical data. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Attention to DetailComputer SkillsDesignEngineering and Technology Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Work Environment: Most of the work is indoors in a well-lit, temperature and sound controlled office setting. However, employee may be exposed to the hazards of tripping, falling, shock, burns, dust, fluids, chemicals and/or a variety of diseases when making "on-site" inspections. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address Fargo VA Medical Center 2101 Elm Street Fargo, ND 58102 US
• Name: Kara Grieser
• Phone: (320) 252-1670 X7151
• Email: [email protected]